The present invention relates generally to retail terminals and, more particularly, to a retail terminal adapted to allow a user to gain access to an electronic billing application.
In the retail industry, a number of electronic retail terminals are used throughout a retail store. For example, the retail store may include a number of point-of-sale (POS) terminals such as traditional assisted (i.e. clerk-operated) checkout terminals. In addition to assisted point-of-sale terminals, the retail store may also include a number of unassisted point-of-sale terminals such as self-service checkout terminals. Self-service checkout terminals are retail terminals which are operated by a customer without the assistance of a retail clerk.
Moreover, in addition to point-of-sale terminals, the retail store may also include a number of information retail terminals such as kiosk-type devices. Such information retail terminals are generally located throughout the shopping area of the retail store and are provided to perform various information retail functions such as a product demonstration function (e.g. an audio/video advertisement), a customer data collection function (e.g. collecting and maintaining a customer profile database), and in some cases even a transaction function in which a customer may use the kiosk to tender payment for his or her items for purchase. Information retail terminals may be used to display product information to retail customers, or may be used as an interactive retail terminal which provides assistance to customers in response to a customer""s input via a keypad or the like.
Most retail terminals, however, are limited in their operation to those functions listed above. Since such retail terminals are becoming more prevalent in places where a vast majority of the public has access to them, it would be beneficial to consumers if retail terminals had expanded capabilities.
What is needed is a retail terminal that allows a consumer to perform functions other than those performed by typical retail terminals.
What is further needed is a retail terminal that is adapted to allow a consumer to access a business application that is related to the retail business.
What is more specifically needed is a retail terminal that provides a consumer access to an electronic billing application.
What is even further specifically needed is a retail terminal that provides a consumer access to an electronic billing application for tendering payment for a bill.
What is still further specifically needed is a retail terminal that allows a consumer to gain secure access to an electronic billing application via a received bill for services relating to the retail business for tendering payment for that bill.
The present invention is a retail terminal that is configured to allow an end user of an electronic billing application to access the electronic billing application and tender payment for an outstanding bill.
A bill associated with the electronic billing application is printed with a bar code that is encoded with various information including a user""s ID and optionally, a password. The bill is taken to a retail terminal that includes a bar code scanner. When the bill/bar code is scanned by the scanner the user is logged into the electronic billing application. Thereafter, the user can tender payment for the bill via a payment device associated with the retail terminal.
The electronic billing application is implemented on the retail terminal so as to include a login page that can receive a bar code scan event and take the strings that are read and use them to authenticate the user.
In one form, the present invention is a retail terminal that comprises, a processing unit, a display in electronic communication with the processing unit, a scanning device in electronic communication with the processing unit, a payment device in electronic communication with the processing unit, and memory in electronic communication with the processing unit. The memory has instructions stored therein which, when executed by the processing unit, causes the retail terminal to obtain user information from a bill via the scanning device, authenticate the user information, and accept payment for the bill via the payment device upon authentication of the user information.
In another form, the present invention is a method of accessing an electronic billing application via a retail terminal, wherein the retail terminal has a processing unit, a display in electronic communication with the processing unit, a scanning device in electronic communication with the processing unit, and a payment device in electronic communication with the processing unit. The method comprises the steps of obtaining user information from a bill via the scanning device, authenticating the user information, and accepting payment for the bill via the payment device upon authenticating the user information.